


Interview with a Bat

by OnyxDay



Category: Batman - All Media Types, Superman - All Media Types
Genre: Daily Planet, News Media, POV First Person, but just the first chapter, written as an article
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-13
Updated: 2018-07-13
Packaged: 2019-06-09 14:23:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,274
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15269379
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OnyxDay/pseuds/OnyxDay
Summary: Clark Kent has written many articles for the Daily Planet.He's written many articles about Bruce Wayne for the Daily Planet.But this is the first time he has interviewed Bruce Wayne in his home, surrounded by his family.This is not the first time Clark Kent has been to Bruce Wayne's home, whatever his article wants you to think.





	1. The Article

_Despite having interviewed Bruce Wayne numerous times, both for his philanthropic work and his business dealings, this is the first time I have been invited to his family home._

_The Wayne Manor is exactly as glamorous and grandiose as one would imagine. Stately and refined, it is a relic from an era long gone, and as my taxi drops me off in front of the marble steps I cannot help but feel as if I’ve been plunged directly into a Jane Austen novel. The impressive front steps are nothing compared to the solid oak doors, carved with intricate designs and finished with a large brass door knocker. Even that pales in comparison to the entryway - as I discover when Alfred Pennyworth, the family butler, invites me inside. The grand staircase sweeps into the room, the polished wood catching the light from an even grander chandelier. The floor is the same marble as the steps outside. The walls are adorned with family portraits and tapestries depicting the Wayne family lineage._

_It’s an impressive sight, but then I’m used to the cornfields of Kansas._

_Mr. Pennyworth escorts me to Sitting Room Three, or the Blue Room as it is also called, to wait for my interviewee. The Blue room is just as impressive as the rest of the manor, wallpapered in pale blue damask and furnished with furniture upholstered in dark blue velvet. The floor-to-ceiling windows look out upon the back garden, where I can see the Wayne heirs roughhousing and playing with the family dog. It’s a surprisingly idyllic scene._

_When Bruce Wayne finally arrives (fifteen minutes late and without an explanation, as usual) I’m eager to jump into the interview._

**Clark Kent** : Mr. Wayne, it’s a pleasure to be sitting here with you.

Bruce Wayne: Please, how many times have I told you to call me Bruce. And the pleasure is all mine, Clark.

 **CK** : How are the kids?

BW: Active. (He chuckles and gestures toward the window) As you can see.

 **CK** : Dick is graduating college soon, isn’t he?

BW: Don’t remind me, you’re making me feel old.

_Bruce is in a good mood and he laughs freely._

BW : Yeah Dickie’s graduating college in the spring and Tim will be starting his freshman year this fall.

 **CK** : Your youngest, Damian, he’ll be going to boarding school soon, won’t he? That’s a lot of time without your kids. Anything you plan to do with that time?

BW: How explicit can my answer be? No, no, I’m joking. Mostly I will be busy running Wayne Enterprises and my many charities. Honestly, the life of a wealthy billionaire isn’t all that interesting.

 **CK** : But there was a very large portion of your life that has been very interesting, at least for the tabloids and gossip pages.

BW: What can I say, when you’re as young and rich as I was, you get a little wild. But that’s behind me now, I’ve got kids, you know.

_He laughs and nods to the window. His kids are still playing outside, though it seems to have escalated into a very athletic version of tag. Jumping flips are involved._

**CK** : So there hasn’t been anyone special in your life recently?

BW: I didn’t say that, did I say that? No, there’s certainly someone special, but it’s not a different girl, or girls, every night anymore. I’m getting older, my kids are growing up, I can’t keep up that lifestyle anymore. I need to start thinking about settling down.

 **CK** : So you see a future with this person?

BW: Maybe.

 **CK** : Well if you’re going to be enigmatic…

_Bruce laughs, loud and exuberant._

BW : Being enigmatic is part of the job, it comes with the mansion.

_He gestures around to the blue walls. Then he frowns and seems to consider something._

BW : Would you mind taking a walk with me? I think we’ve had enough blue for today.

_He stands and I follow him back into the labyrinthine halls of the Wayne Manor. We pass his butler on our way and Bruce stops him. They converse for a while and it suddenly hits me that this is the man that raised Bruce for most of his childhood. They don’t interact as master and servant, despite how it may seem at first. No this is a father and his son._

_Bruce leads me outside, to one of the many seating areas overlooking the backyard. I’m amazed his kids are still going, though it seems to have turned into a game of hide-and-seek, as I can only spot one dark-haired boy on the lawn._

BW : Much better, yes?

 **CK** : I’m not sure this place has places that would be considered “worse”.

BW: You’d be surprised. There’s entire wings of this place I’ve never even seen! Hide and seek in this house is a nightmare.

 **CK** : I could imagine.

_Bruce Wayne is an interesting figure. Heir to the Wayne fortune, he took control of his family’s company in his late twenties, only a year after he seemingly returned from the dead. At twenty-two, Mr. Wayne disappeared off the face of the earth. With no warning and no way of contacting him the world presumed him dead, and five years later his butler finally allowed them to officially declare Bruce Wayne dead. However, as Wayne himself quoted in a press conference shortly after his return, “rumors of (his) death have been greatly exaggerated”._

_In just a few scant years Wayne had taken back his family’s company, re-established himself in Gotham’s social scene, and adopted the first of many Wayne heirs._

_Dick Grayson’s story, much like his adopted father’s, is not a happy one. A child of the circus, Dick Grayson and his parents were a trapeze act known as the Flying Graysons and they were a sight to behold. Tragedy struck, however, during the premier of their Gotham performance, when young Dick Grayson’s parents fell to their death. The rest has been well-documented by my peers both in the Daily Planet and the Gotham Gazette, but the end result is a soon to be college graduate, on his way to start police academy._

**CK** : How do you feel about Dick joining the boys in blue?

BW: I think it’s what he needs, and I think he’ll be good at it. Dick, he’s got a way with people that I think will serve him well on the force. He has a faith in people you don’t often find in Gotham. But he’s not naive either, he’s seen the atrocities people can commit firsthand. He’s lost a lot of people.

_Bruce is, of course, referring to the death of Dick’s parents, as well as the tragic death of the second oldest Wayne heir._

_Jason Todd would have been twenty this year._

**CK** : So you’re not disappointed he won’t be following in your footsteps?

BW: God, no. No, Dickie’s never been the one for the corporate scene. There’s still a bit too much carnie in him, I think. Tim, on the other hand, he thrives in an office.

_Tim Drake, the third Wayne child, is certainly more suited for the pressure of the corporate world. The son of Jack and Janet Drake, his story is no less painful than any of the Wayne family. Going through all the various heartaches that typically befall Gotham socialites, the Drake family suffered greatly - the tragic loss of Janet Drake’s life at the hands of a madman, Jack Drake’s loss of his legs, fortune, and eventually his life. It was after the loss of his mother that Tim first fell into the care of Bruce Wayne. Sympathetic to their tragedy, Wayne offered the Drake’s as much help as they needed to work through their loss. When Jack died a few years later, is was only logical for Bruce to adopt his son, adding yet another orphan to his home._

_Tim has flourished in his time with Bruce. Already holding a position at Wayne Enterprises, Tim Drake is well on his way to becoming one of the youngest CEOs in Gotham history._

**CK** : How has working with your son been? I understand you have him working as your secretary?

BW: Ha, you know, I almost expected him to quit after a few weeks? I’ve never been one to have a stable secretary, in fact, I think I drove most of them off within a month. But Tim’s been great. He’s level-headed, great with scheduling, and already knows how to deal with my more, let’s say “tempestuous” side.

 **CK** : I’m sure living with you gives him an edge.

BW: Being able to remind me of my meetings at the breakfast table certainly helps, yes. But it’s more than that. Tim really has a head for these things, and I think having this experience is going to be good for him once he takes on a higher position at the company.

 **CK** : So, I take it you’re planning on retiring once Tim is able to take over as CEO?

BW: Oof, don’t say the “r” word, I’m not that old you know! No, I think it might be nice to keep working with my son, maybe even with two of them once Damian gets older. But there’s still plenty of time before that happens.

 **CK** : Speaking of Damian, that must have been a shock to you, finding out you had another son.

BW: Thank you for saying “another”, so many reporters, when they ask about Damian, they ask how it feels to find out I had a son. I had three long before Damian came into my life. I won’t lie, finding out about Damian was... rough, to say the least. His mother and I hadn’t been together since my sabbatical, so for me to answer the door one night and find my son on the front step, well I don’t think anyone would be prepared for that. I’m sure you know what I mean, you had something similar happen to you a few years ago, didn’t you?

_We are interrupted by four dark-haired Wayne’s, sweaty and winded from a day of rough-housing, collapsing against their father. Bruce takes it with the jaded air of someone who is used to such treatment. In fact, I can almost picture the exact same expression on my own parent’s faces after I returned from a long day on the farm._

_The Wayne children all greet me with various amounts of enthusiasm. I know many of them from my time covering Wayne Foundation functions, though I have had the honor of interviewing both Tim Drake-Wayne and Dick Grayson-Wayne for their own articles, as well._

_Despite the fact that only two of them are related, there is a clear resemblance between the Wayne family members. Maybe it’s the fact that they’re all athletically built and dark haired, but even with the various ethnicities, ages, and genders represented there is something in there that ties these people together as a family._

_Cassandra, the most recent addition to the Wayne family, brings that out like nothing else. She doesn’t speak much, but she doesn’t need to. She can communicate more through her facial movements than most politicians can through their speeches, though she does use a form of sign language as well. Her siblings fold her into the conversation easily, bantering back and forth with a fluidity that is born of familiarity. A stranger might think they had known each other for years, but Cassandra only joined this patchwork family a few months ago._

_Somehow during_ _this, I am invited to eat lunch with the Waynes, and my mother raised me better than to refuse an invitation like that. The conversation continues in the dining room - a stately affair with several chandeliers and a table big enough to hold my entire home town, though it’s needed with the amount of children Bruce has amassed. While we eat even more children arrive, friends of the Wayne heirs no doubt, though Bruce welcomes them with open arms. It is clear while eating with him that this Bruce is not the same man that graced the cover of more than his fair share of gossip rags. He appears calmer here in his family home, surrounded by the family he has built himself. During our lunch, he lost some of that Brucie Wayne swagger and settled as the more sedate head of the Wayne family. Still, his voice could be heard above the many younger ones, laughing just as loudly and freely as his children and their friends._

_He is a father, after all._

_-Clark Kent, Daily Planet Reporter_

 


	2. The Truth

Clark smiles as the familiar sight of Wayne Manor is revealed through the clouds over Gotham. The sheer expanse of the property is still overwhelming to him, nearly twice the size of the Kent farm. Clark knows plenty of people in Smallville that have bigger plots, though those are at least being used as farmland. Yet Clark can't begrudge Bruce the waste, not when he knows the sentimentality of the place. The intricate network of caves that run underneath the house and grounds and the work that's done in them certainly helps dull the working class rage Clark still sometimes feels, though.

Still, it's an impressive sight, the Manor rising above Gotham's coast like something out of a Gothic novel. Frankenstein, or possibly Dracula. Dracula certainly seems more apt for someone like Bruce.

Clark smiles to himself imagining Bruce dressed like Bela Lugosi's Dracula, especially since the image is a near perfect blend of his wardrobe as Bruce Wayne™ and Batman.

He's still smiling when he lands on the gravel path leading to Wayne Manor's front gates. The heavy oak doors are already opening by the time he reaches the top step, Alfred there ready to greet his master's guests as always. At least that's what the older man wants people to think. Clark sees it a bit more like a parent greeting their child's playmate.

"Hey there, Alfred," Clark greets cheerfully.

"A pleasure as always, Master Clark," Alfred says in his usual stoic drawl.

"How many times do I have to tell you to drop all this 'master' business and just call me Clark?" he asks, handing the butler his jacket.

"Feel free to stop asking whenever you're ready, Master Clark," Alfred replies, only the twinkle in his blue eyes giving away humor behind the statement. It's a conversation they've had nearly every time Clark's stopped by and the outcome is still the same.

"I'll stop asking when you give in," Clark responds with a grin. "Bruce in the cave?"

"For the moment, yes. I was hoping to coax him upstairs before lunchtime, but perhaps you'll have better luck."

Clark shakes his head. "Unless there's a crisis, I doubt anything could get him out of that cave."

Ever since they returned from their latest intergalactic mission, Bruce has been absorbed by the alien tech they brought back. Clark doesn't understand why he couldn't just let J'onn take care of on the Watchtower, or even just hand the material over to STAR labs to handle, but that was Bruce for you.

"Hey, are the boys around? I wanted to say 'hi' before being swept downstairs for the rest of the day."

"I believe they are outside, training," Alfred says.

"Thanks, Alfred." Clark rests a hand on his shoulder gently before turning and making his way outside.

The first few times he had gone to the manor outside of working with the Bat, the labyrinthine hallways had confused him, even with his x-ray vision to help guide him through. Now, though, he can navigate the halls... relatively easily. He still gets turned around every once in a while, and he swears the portraits keep moving between his visits, but he can find most of the regularly used rooms easily enough.

It doesn't take him long to reach the back patio. He can see the boys sparring out on the lawn, spots Dick easier than the others if only by the way he flips into the air. Over by the pool, Cass and the girls are alternatively swimming and lounging in the sun, so he decides to join them before interrupting the sparring session. Cass notices him first and greets him with a smile and the sign she had developed specifically for him. It reminds him of the way he takes off for flight, the little 'woosh' of her hand moving in front of her chest, her fingers held in a sign language 'k'.

"Hey Cass," Clark responds, leaning down so Cass can kiss his forehead in greeting without making her get up. It was a ritual Cass had with everyone that was dear to her and everyone she let in on it respected the ritual more than most other things in their life. Clark straightens again with a smile and runs his fingers through her hair in thanks.

"What brings you to the Manor?" Barbara asks, swimming up to the edge of the pool closest to them.

"Fluff piece for the Planet Bruce wants me to write."

"And where are you supposed to be meeting this time?" Steph questions, pushing herself out of the pool and taking a seat on the lounger next to Cass. "His office? The yacht? Ooh, are you being taken on a drive in one of his fancy cars?"

"Here, actually. It's Clark Kent's first official Manor interview," he tells them, an almost proud smile on his face. The girls gasp in feigned scandalized tones.

"It's getting serious, then?" Barbara asks, eyebrows pumping with faux salaciousness.

Clark laughs and shakes his head, "You know Bruce and his plans. He said something about algorithms and maintaining a compelling narrative, but I mostly didn't understand what he was talking about. Besides, it's not like any of our interviews actually take place where we say they do, unless they're in public."

All four of them roll their eyes. Clark says his goodbyes, leaning down to give Cass a parting hug, which she takes as an opportunity to whisper in his ear: "He wants you public." Then she leans back and stares into his eyes, making sure he understands. Clark smiles sadly and nods, even though he doesn't quite believe her. She knows that, of course, she can pick up on the subtle cues his body is telling her, but she simply shakes her head and waves him toward the boys.

Dick is, of course, the first one to notice him. He immediately stops his attack on Tim, though he keeps the younger boy in a headlock, and smiles. Clark would describe the smile as bright if all of Dick's smiles weren't as equally cheerful.

"Clark!"

The rest of the Wayne children immediately cease their training, though really it looked more like youthful wrestling than anything resembling the maneuvers Bruce puts them through. Tim wiggles out of the hold Dick had on him and brushes himself off before giving his older brother a quick kick to the shin. Damian, who had been perched atop Jason's shoulders lobbing projectiles at Duke while the other boy dodged them, flips down and regards Clark with the same open hostility as he always does.

"What are you doing here, alien?" the thirteen-year-old hisses.

"It's the semi-annual Brucie report," Clark answers with a bright, if somewhat sardonic, smile. Damian tisks and crosses his arms.

"He's having you interview him here, isn't he?" Tim asks, hanging upside down in Dick's grip. The eldest Wayne had grabbed him in retaliation for the shin kick and had been trying to give him a noogie before Tim swung himself upside down.

"Yeah, first 'official' Wayne Manor interview," Clark confirms. "He said it's time to start 'toning down the Brucie image', but who knows what that means to him." He checks his watch and sighs. "Speaking of, I better go. Wouldn't want to keep him waiting."

The boys wave him off with the appropriate commiserations, going back to their roughhousing disguised as training.

Clark makes his way back inside then to the main study, slipping through the clock entrance and down into the Cave.

As expected, Bruce is sitting at the monitors, going over scans and schematics of the foreign tech. Clark doesn't fool himself into thinking Bruce missed his entrance, either to the Cave or the grounds, but that doesn't stop him from knocking on the Cave wall to announce his presence. His mother raised him better than that.

"I left my responses to the interview questions on the edge of the desk," Bruce tells him, gesturing to the papers but not turning away from the screens.

"Hi, Clark, it's so nice to see you, how have you been?" Clark asks himself in a passable imitation of the 'Brucie' voice. "Oh, I'm fine, Bruce, thanks for asking. It's so nice to see you too after a week and a half of no contact."

The sarcastic tones finally draw Bruce away from the readouts, spinning his chair to give Clark an apologetic look and a rueful smile.

"Sorry," Bruce sighs, "I've been a little... preoccupied." His eyes dart to the side where the alien device is hooked up to the computer. He wipes a hand down his face and stands, a more pleasant expression replacing the Bat's trademark scowl. "How _have_ you been, Clark?"

Clark gently floats toward him. "I've been fine. Luthor looks like he's going to try something soon, but otherwise, it's been quiet." He drapes his arms over Bruce's shoulders and smiles as the other man relaxes into him.

"That's good. And Clark Kent?" Bruce wraps his arms around him and tilts his head to the side, brushing his lips against Clark's pulse point.

"Excited to be interviewing Bruce Wayne in his home," Clark answers with a hum.

"Well, maybe Bruce Wayne will invite him to stay for lunch." Bruce suggests, a twinkle in his eyes that suggests something far from an innocent lunch invite. The wandering hand does nothing to dispute that suggestion.

"Bruce," Clark groans, stopping the hand before it can do too much damage. "I promised Alfred I'd get you above ground for lunch today."

"The bedroom is above ground," Bruce counters. Clark laughs at the leer he sends his way, but shakes his head and backs off when Bruce tries to coax him into a kiss.

"All your kids are here, you need to spend _some_ time with them outside patrols, y'know."

Bruce sighs and turns away. "You're no fun anymore."

"On the contrary," Clark slides up behind him, wrapping Bruce in his arms and setting his lips against the other man's neck, "I can be _very_ fun." Clark bites down carefully at the juncture of Bruce's neck and shoulders, delighting at the shiver that runs down Bruce's spine. His hands slowly slide down to Bruce's hips, then under his sweatpants, his nails digging into Bruce's thighs just enough to stimulate the nerves without breaking his oh so delicate human skin.

"Clark," Bruce moans.

All at once Clark is gone.

Bruce spins and glares at the alien farm boy, who is now standing at the bottom of the stairs grinning at him.

"Clark," he growls.

"Lunch first."

Clark literally flies up the staircase before Bruce can lunge at him and laughs at the annoyed growls coming from the lower level.

He waits until Bruce actually steps into the lift before zooming in after him. As the doors close he allows himself to be pushed against the back wall, smiling into the kiss Bruce lays on him, though that eventually subsides as he leans into the kiss. They break apart before the lift doors open, though Clark can't help but land another kiss with his superspeed before he steps back into the Manor proper.

Bruce grumbles about not being in the Cave, but Clark just smiles and tugs him toward the family dining room. It's smaller than the grand dining room, though not by much. Back when it was just Bruce and Dick the few times Clark ate with them they would just crowd around the kitchen island. Now that Bruce regularly hosts at least ten or more they've had to upgrade to a larger space. Sometimes Clark isn't sure how he manages to fit everyone in the one room, and today is one of those days. Somehow in the short time they were down in the Cave together, the number of kids in the house has multiplied. Clark recognizes the lightning trail of a speedster as it zooms past him, the glimpse of bright red hair all he needs to recognize Wally West. Clark hopes Alfred has made enough to satisfy everyone, especially since he can see Kon and Tim talking together in the hallway and can only assume Jon is somewhere around too. A glimpse of blue and purple from the kitchen tells him Harper's here and a sharp admonition from Alfred clues him onto Roy's presence. It's only after everyone sits down and starts eating that Clark notices the addition of a small redheaded boy next to Damian and Jon, whose name is apparently Colin.

All in all, it's nearly twenty people crowded into one space, each having their own conversations with the people around them, and it's a miracle the whole thing doesn't just collapse into one big food fight; though it comes close a few times.

Still, Clark can't help but be proud of the family Bruce has gathered. From a lonely orphan with only his butler to raise him to a man, no, a hero with one of the largest families Clark has ever seen. And Clark is so grateful to be a part of that.


End file.
